October 24, 2008

4th BIENNIAL CONVENTION OF THE CANADIAN NETWORK ON CUBA: BUILDING & DEEPENING CANADA-CUBA SOLIDARITY

Dear Friends,

From August 30th to September 1st, 2008, twenty Canada-Cuba solidarity organizations, from across the country, gathered in Toronto at the 4th Biennial Convention of the Canadian Network on Cuba (CNC). The Convention re-affirmed the CNC's commitment to continue to build bridges of solidarity and friendship between the Canadian and Cuban peoples. Toward this end, steps were taken to strengthen and professionalize the CNC's work. Several resolutions and initiatives were adopted and endorsed that established the priorities for the next two-years.Under this mandate a new seven member executive was elected: David Bleakney, Rolf Gerstenberger, Tamara Hansen, Isaac Saney, Sharon Skup, David Thomas and Ray Viaud.For the first time the executive has representation from organized labour in the persons of David Bleakney (National Union Representative - Education (English), Canadian Union of Postal Workers) and Rolf Gerstenberger (President, United Steel Workers Local 1005).Tamara Hansen, from Vancouver, and Isaac Saney, from Halifax, were elected as the co-chairs of the new executive. Subsequently, Isaac Saney was appointed national Spokesperson and Tamara Hansen liaison with La Table de Concertation de Solidarite Quebec-Cuba.

The Convention was addressed by Basilio Gutiérrez, Vice-President of ICAP (Cuban Institute of Friendship With the Peoples), who emphasized the importance of the Canada-Cuba solidarity movement in ensuring that Canada-Cuba relations remain based on the international norms of mutual respect and equality between nations. Appreciations and support were brought to the Convention by Arnold August on behalf of La Table de Concertation de Solidarité Québec-Cuba, highlighting the joint work on the campaign to free the Five Cuban Heroes unjustly imprisoned in the United States that culminated in the letter of support signed by fifty-six members of parliament. Laureano Cardoso, the Consul General of Cuba, delivered greetings on behalf of the Cuban diplomatic staff in Canada, highlighting the long historical ties of friendship between Canada and Cuba and the role of the solidarity movement in maintaining and deepening those ties.

These ties were poignantly demonstrated by the Convention's adoption of a communiqué that affirmed the CNC's commitment to organize a campaign to aid and to contribute to Cuba's recovery in response to the devastating effects of the hurricanes that struck the island. "Today, like in the past, the Cuban people and their leaders can count on the support of the Cuba-Canada Solidarity Movement," affirmed the CNC. The CNC expressed its deep confidence that the Cuban people will overcome this new challenge, the same way it has triumphed over many others, whether natural disasters or challenges of other types. "Hurricanes may destroy properties and other material items, but they will never be able to destroy the indomitable Cuban people," concluded the communiqué.

For more information, please contact Isaac Saney, CNC National Spokesperson at

October 22, 2008

The Young Communist League of Canada regrets that we will be unable to send a participant to your upcoming seminar. This is due to financial restraints as well as current Federal elections where we are engaged in a struggle to defeat the ultra-right Conservative Party which aims to win a majority government; this would be the most negative political event for Canadian workers, youth and students since the election of the Mulroney Conservative government which signed NAFTA.

We have been following some of the events in Colombia and the region of Latin America with great interest. The attention of the worlds progressive people is on Latin America where exciting gains are being made. We wish JUCO a very successful Congress and Seminar and send our continued solidarity and support to the struggles of Colombian youth and students for a Colombia free of Uribe and of U.S. imperialist meddling.

The World Federation of Democratic Youth has received with much happiness the news about the historical triumph of “Yes” with 70% of support to the new Constitution of Republic of Ecuador, which as President Correa said, expresses the wish of Ecuadorians to achieve a new nation: sovereign, fair, without misery, with production, with employment and without discrimination.

This progressive constitution has once again defeated the neoliberal model, which has lead to poverty thousands of Ecuadorians, and includes the firm decision to not allow the keeping of foreign military bases, defending the nature, the food security, the recognition of intercultural and plurinationality, which makes it one of the most progressives of the World.

WFDY expresses its recognition towards the effort that has been being done by the Government and youth of Ecuador, which are committed to create a “citizenship revolution: a radical process of change, deep and fast”. As President Correa, WFDY calls upon all its member and friend organizations and to the youth of the World to join this recognition an express its total solidarity towards the process of change lived in Ecuador.

WFDY is an International NGO. It has consultative status with United Nations (ECOSOC) and operational relation with UNESCO. Presented a Peace Messenger award by UN Secretary General in 1987.

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WFDY statement on the International Financial Crisis

Over the last weeks there has been a growing public debate on the so called “economical crisis” that has started in the USA and had impacts in Europe and that is supposed to threaten the economy of the whole world.

This crisis, which the economists promoted by imperialism don’t seem able to explain, is in fact due to the accumulation of years of financial speculation that never produced any concrete thing, being only useful to a bunch owners of multi-national companies’ owners, who have increased even more their stupendous fortunes.

Being so, this crisis comes as natural fact of the contradictions of imperialism and can only be completely understood if analyzed in the framework of the economical functioning of the imperialist globalized economy imposed by USA, European Union and Japan to the rest of the world.

However, the “solutions” found by imperialists to solve this crisis are an offense to the people of the world, making once again the poorest pay for the crisis created by the imperialist administration and its economical allies. Moreover, they are even a contradiction with the so intensive disseminated imperialist philosophy of dismantling of the States.

The billions transferred to the bank accounts of this companies and the nationalization of banks or companies that will only bring debs to the public finances of each country are unacceptable and unfair. How many thousands of public hospitals, universities, schools, nurseries, sports centers, and culture infrastructures could have been built and kept in excellent shape with this money? How many millions of doctors and teachers could have been graduated? How many years of food and drink could have provided to mankind if that money was invested in sustainable development processes of production, especially in Africa and in Southeast Asia?

Therefore, the World Federation of Democratic Youth denounces this hideous situation and calls upon all its member and friend organizations to unite their voices to let all the youngsters of the world understand and struggle against this new face of the offense against the rights of the youth and people of the world.

With our solidarity bounds and our common struggle we will be able to defeat the imperialism intents of preserving the inequalities in which it is grounded and, therefore, we will defeat imperialism itself, building a world of peace, justice and social development.

SEE A REVOLUTION IN MOTION

Past YCL Statements

Join the struggle!

The Young Communist League of Canada is a marxist-leninist organization of youth who struggle for socialism and work to build a strong youth and student movement.

We are a multi-ethnic organization of young workers, employed and unemployed, young women and men. We work in movements for peace and democracy and against racism, sexism homophobia, national oppression and destruction of our environment.

We work in our unions and workplaces for better wages, and in our high schools for democratic and equal education, our colleges, universities and trade schools for accesibility. We bring forth these viewpoints through our League's agitational magazine, Rebel Youth.

We work together for a Canada without exploitation where the workers hold all political, social and economic power. We recognize that since youth are the future, we must play a vital role in fighting for socialism.